CHINA SPLASH SEPTEMBER 2017

Fake Cosmetics Plague Taobao
A series of arrests in Nanjing and Qingdao have revealed a massive counterfeit cosmetics network operating on Taobao. The number of victims is expected to be at least 1.3 million people. Fake products from some well-known brands like Innisfree and Etude House were sold on a number of Taobao stores before authorities finally caught the operators. In all, 16 warehouses were raided and more than 10 million RMB worth of fake cosmetics were seized. Jia, Li and other five major suspects were arrested by the police. Some of these Taobao vendors were found to be peddling fake cosmetics to the tune of more than 2 billion in sales per year. These shop owners normally disguised themselves as overseas students to obtain the trust of consumers. Police have arrested a total of 47 suspects and seized 23 tons of inventory. (sina.com)

Chinese Universities Improve
Capturing 57 out of the top 500 spots in the newly published Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), Chinese universities saw modest growth compared to last year. From the 57 schools, 45 were from mainland China and 12 from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Beijing’s Tsinghua University entered the top 50 for the first time, standing at the 48th position—up 10 places from last year. It’s also the third ranked university in Asia behind Japan’s University of Tokyo (24th) and Kyoto University (35th). Peking University remained at the 71. Other Chinese universities in the top 500 included Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, University of Science and Technology of China and Zhejiang University. (cgtn.com)

No More Durian on Buses
On August 15, a “Dongguan City Bus Regulation” was released and stipulated that passengers cannot carry explosive/highly toxic goods, knives, balloons and other dangerous items on buses. The new rules also refuse animals, but guide dogs are still permitted. Surprisingly, foods with irritating odors such as durian and stinky tofu are also out. Although no clear penalty has been announced for offenders, bus drivers can refuse service to unruly or dangerous passengers. The traffic department said that the new regulation aims to cut all kinds of uncivilized behavior. Practically, the supervision of the rules more so rely on the passengers themselves. (timedg.com)

UAVs to Monitor Enterprise Emissions
Environmental law enforcement officers are now using UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to inspect emissions coming from Changan factories. This is the fourth time that Dongguan has used UAVs to patrol pollution. The machines can record emission behavior (including the source) and collect data relating to VOCs, PM2.5 (fine particles), PM10 (respirable fine particles), O3 (ozone), SO2 (sulfur dioxide), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and CO (carbon monoxide). According to one employee, it’s sometimes difficult for the officers to obtain clear, valid evidence on-site and UAVs are convenient, easy to operate and reduce workloads. It’s expected that UAVs will become a normal method to investigate illegal waste and emissions in the near future. (timedg.com)

Belgian Consul-General Visits Dongguan
On 14 August, Joris Salden, the Belgian Consul-General stationed in Guangzhou, visited Dongguan to discuss plans for cooperation and exchange with Belgium. Deputy-Mayor Huang Qinghui joined with Shao Dehui and his companions for the meeting. Statistics from the Commercial Bureau indicate that as of May 2017, there were five manufacturing Belgian enterprises invested in Dongguan, worth 33.17 million USD. In the first half of the year, trade between Dongguan and Belgium was 280 million USD. Manufacturing distribution in Dongguan is becoming increasingly balanced and welcomes Belgian enterprises, especially start-ups. It is expected that Belgian expertise will enable all kinds development in Dongguan. Joris Salden said he had visited Belgian enterprises in Dongguan before, but this was his first official visit to the Dongguan government. He hopes to build communication and connection between the two sides and further understand new policies regarding foreign investment. (sun0769.com)

New DG Trade Office in Israel
Dongguan’s Vice Secretary Municipal Committee and mayor Liang Weidong met with the Consul General Mr. Nadav Cohen, of Israel, in Guangzhou on August 10. They agreed to deepen cooperation with a new economic and trade office in Israel.
Liang gave a brief introduction of Dongguan’s economic and social development and also indicated that Israel is a leader in producing information technology and water treatment. Leveraging Dongguan’s production roots, both sides could greatly benefit from economic cooperation. To further relations, the Dongguan government will also set up a new office in Israel.
Both China and Israel are willing to share technologies and look forward to improving both countries.

Green License Plates for Eco-Vehicles
The Ministry of Public Security has announced the approval of special license plates for new energy efficient vehicles nationwide. Differing from the conventional blue, these special plates are green and are adorned with a symbol designed to represent new energy, plus an additional digit. They’ll also feature a QR code, an anti-counterfeiting mark and a laser pattern. “In this way, we can trace the source, check out who purchased the license plate, when it was made, and who it belongs to. It will help us find out fake or irregular plates and solve a series of other problems,” said Sun Zhengliang, research fellow with the Traffic Management Research Institute.
New energy vehicle owners will be able to apply via vehicle management registration websites or through a smartphone app. Traffic authorities are also establishing an information system for these vehicles, which are still being given preferential treatment in China. There are now over one million of these vehicles in China. (people.cn)